Lesson overview:
English has no single future tense. It has at least five ways to talk about the future, and the choice depends on how fixed the future is. A train timetable can't change, a booked flight probably won't, a plan might, and a decision made mid-sentence can change in the next one. This worksheet teaches the five forms through one email. On 2 August 2027 a total solar eclipse will cross southern Spain, North Africa and Egypt, and Sofia is writing to her brother about watching it in Luxor. In one email she uses the present simple for the tour timetable, the present continuous for the flights, going to for her plans, will for predictions and for a decision she makes while writing, and the future continuous for where she'll be standing when the sky goes dark. Students hunt for a verb for each job, then place the forms on a scale from more fixed to less fixed. Two special cases follow: will be + -ing (including polite questions like Will you be using the car tonight?) and the present after when, as soon as and until. The exercises use a day-trip timetable, diary notes, a likelihood ranking and Marco's reply, and close with five questions about the student's own future.
Add it to a class plan and keep track of what you've taught.
